The present invention relates to a new and improved communication system for the transmission of data, such as telegrams, messages and information, from a transmitting station to a receiving station, both stations in each case possessing transmitter sections and receiver sections. The invention further pertains to a novel method of operating such communication system.
The inventive communication system can be used in the filed of data transmission and processing.
During the transmission of telegrams (under the expression "telegrams" there is generally meant hereinafter messages or information composed of data) it is possible that individual telegrams become lost or obliterated. In both instances the receiving station does not receive from the transmitting station any information or any useful information, as the case may be.
There are already known to the art methods wherein the transmitting or transmitter station repeats the telegram for such length of time until the receiving or receiver station confirms the proper reception of such telegram by a receipt signal. What is disadvantageous with this technique is that in the case of a telegram block (under the term "telegram block" there is to be understood a larger number of telegrams which are transmitted in succession) each individual telegram must be confirmed.
According to a further generally known method the receiver station requires a repetition of the transmitted data in the event that there has been received an obliterated or garbled telegram. What is disadvantageous with this procedure is that in the case of telegrams which have been lost there is not required any repetition and the loss of such telegram goes unnoticed.
In accordance with a third generally known technique the transmitting station, after transmitting a certain, fixed predetermined number of telegrams, requests confirmation from the receiving station that the agreed upon number of telegrams has been correctly received before there are transmitted further telegrams. However, upon loss of individual telegrams and upon reception of individually garbled telegrams it is necessary to repeat the entire telegram block.